James is a specialist on youth politics in Britain and Europe. His recent research found that while young people are interested in politics there is a worrying disengagement with the political system which is manifested in low voter turnout and distrust of politicians, particularly when Britain is compared with other European democracies.

As a result, young people have become marginalized from politics and by public policy in Britain. Given that young people only represent a small part of the population and are less likely to vote than older citizens, youth issues are given a low priority by politicians (consider, for example, the recent tripling of university tuition fees to £9,000). James argues that this is likely to lead to further disillusionment with politicians as the vicious circle continues.